Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Angel Child

Nearly twenty years ago, I sat in a hospital bed thousands of miles from here and held tight a tiny angel with bright blue eyes and shimmering red wisps of hair. My heart has been at her mercy since the first moment our eyes met… breaking when hers breaks, laughing when hers laughs, soaring when hers takes flight.

I’ve watched her evolve from a four-year-old ballerina with stage fright to a self-assured, poised young woman with the world laid out before her, the curtain rising on the next act.

I’ve seen the music her heart sings change from a child’s self-focused chorus to a symphony of caring and concern for all whose life she touches.

I’ve seen her shoulder weights and burdens that would destroy a lesser vessel, but she has carried them with a quiet determination, becoming a woman crafted of fierce strength wrapped in a gentle touch.

I have watched these things and I stand in awe at this child… this woman… this angel… my daughter.